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NASCAR driver Austin Cindric has been named as a substitute for Ford endurance driver Ben Barker, who was injured during a holiday skiing accident.
Cindric, part of the Ford Performance NASCAR Cup team, joins the full season pairing of Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3.
"The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career,” said Cindric. “This will be my sixth opportunity to run this race. I wish Ben all the best in his recovery as I get to keep his seat warm.”
The Mooresville, N.C. native is a multi-race winning driver in the premier NASCAR Cup series, including the 2022 Daytona 500 in a Team Penske Mustang.
“We have great momentum moving into the season opening round at Daytona,” offered Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “We are excited to have Austin step into the Ford Mustang GT3. Austin is one of the most diverse drivers we have, a proven winner with Mustang in NASCAR and sports cars.”
Prior to a career in stock car racing, Cindric competed in major sports car racing series across North America. He proved his talent as a Ford development driver in Mustang GT4 which has included four Michelin Pilot Challenge appearances with Multimatic Motorsports at Daytona. He also posted a 2019 race win alongside Priaulx at Road Atlanta.
“In 2025, it'll be 10 years exactly since the first time I came down to Daytona to race for Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge,” Cindric said.
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